Modern QA has evolved beyond checking broken buttons or crashing forms. Today’s QA engineers need to validate everything from visual fidelity to emotional resonance. That means having a well-rounded toolbox that spans both UI automation and UX validation.

Here are the top 10 tools every QA team should know to cover both the interface and the experience:

1. Figma

Figma isn’t just for designers anymore. It’s a goldmine for QA professionals during early testing.

Best for: Design inspection, spacing validation, pre-dev reviews

Use it to:

• Compare design vs. implementation
• Grab CSS values and font specs
• Validate pixel-perfect spacing

2. Chrome DevTools 

Your first line of defense for layout bugs, alignment issues, and performance bottlenecks.

Best for: Element inspection, mobile emulation, performance auditing

Use it to:

• Test responsiveness
• Debug layout shifts
• Simulate slow networks or devices

3. Percy 

Visual testing tool that captures full-page snapshots and highlights even the tiniest visual changes across commits.

Best for: UI visual regression testing

Use it to:

• Push frequent UI updates 
• Pixel-level monitoring

4. Selenium 

The OG of browser automation. It’s powerful, mature, and battle-tested for UI functional testing.

Best for: Automated functional UI testing across browsers

Use it to:

• Validate forms, inputs, and workflows
• Integrate with Jenkins for CI/CD automation

5. UserTesting 

Real users. Real feedback. Real impact.

Best for: Remote usability testing, user behavior analysis

Use it to:

• Record how users navigate your app
• Listen to what confuses or delights them

6. Playwright 

Developed by Microsoft, this newer tool is fast becoming a favorite for end-to-end UI testing.

Best for: Cross-browser UI automation

Use it to:

• Support Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit out of the box
• Built for speed and modern frameworks

7. Hotjar 

What users do > what users say. Hotjar provides heatmaps, scroll tracking, and behavior analytics.

Best for: Post-launch UX insights

Use it to:

• Watch user session recordings
• Discover drop-off points and usability snags

8. Cypress 

An all-in-one testing framework built with developer experience in mind. Ideal for fast-paced agile teams.

Best for: Rapid feedback cycles, frontend testing

Use it to:

• Test SPAs and real-time applications
• Simple setup and live browser previews

9. Lighthouse 

Built into Chrome, Lighthouse audits for performance, accessibility, PWA standards, and more.

Best for: UX quality score, performance baselining

Use it to:

• Run it to catch slow pages, SEO gaps, or accessibility blockers.

10. Lookback 

Perfect for collaborative UX sessions. Watch users interact with your product while discussing it in real time.

Best for: Live user feedback, remote UX research

Use it to:

• Great for designers, researchers, and QA teams working in product-led environments.

Concluding Words

A modern QA toolkit is more than just test scripts—it’s a bridge between product design, development, and user empathy. These UI/UX testing tools help you catch what breaks, refine what works, and ultimately deliver apps users love. Be it testing buttons or behaviors, these tools have you covered!